Delisa's Days: A trip to Branson

Saturday morning we got up, loaded everything we could possibly fit into my car (the boys barely fit, but we got them in), and headed for a few days in Branson Missouri. Once a year we meet my dad's cousins from Florida for a reunion and it was time for it once more. We either meet in Florida or in Branson, and since we met in Destin last year, this was the year for Branson.

I would feel I was doing you a disservice if I didn't tell you that we stopped in Little Rock for lunch and ate a Larry's Pizza. Y'all. I now have a new favorite pizza place. Just try it if you happen to be passing through a city that has one.

You will thank me later.

When we got to Branson we met up with my parents, my nephew Luke, and my niece Kaulyn and went to the Baldknobbers show. This is the kids favorite show in Branson, so it's one that we are sure to not miss. And as always, the kids enjoyed the show and I enjoyed the roasted cinnamon pecans. Because really. How can you smell those and not want purchase as many of those little cone shaped bags as you can fit in your purse?

Austin, Kaulyn, and Aaron at the Baldknobbers

I'm only 3 paragraphs into this trip and I've mentioned food in 2 of those. Maybe I should go get something to eat so that I'm not so hungry and every paragraph isn't about food.

On Sunday we took the kids to see Madagascar 3 at the movies. I really like all of the Madagascar movies, so I was almost as excited about seeing this as Austin was. Almost. Although after 2 movies of these poor zoo animals just trying to get back to the zoo, I'm not sure how I felt about them wanting to join the circus instead of staying in the place they had worked so hard to get back into.

I don't remember the writers asking me how I thought it should end though. So I guess they don't really care about my feelings on what should happen with the animals at the end.

But am I the only one that thinks a circus inside the zoo would be a good idea? I doubt it.

If this happens in Madagascar 4, I'm totally taking credit for the idea.

Aaron and Luke

Aaron and Kaulyn being silly.

Luke and Kaulyn ended up staying in our condo and hanging out with us most of the time we were there. It was good for my boys to have their cousins to play with, and it was good for Robbie and I because they saved us from having to go to the Titanic museum and the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum. Not that we didn't WANT to go into those museum's...well, actually that's exactly what it was. We've been in those and didn't care to go again, so with Luke being almost 16 and Kaulyn being 14, they were old enough to keep up with our boys while they went through these places.

Austin and Kaulyn

Our view of King Kong while playing mini-golf.

Ready for the show to start

A few of the other things we did while we were there was played laser tag (which I LOVE and came in second place only to Robbie because he 'accidentally' plowed over me, making me incoherent for a minute), rode go-carts (4 stories high, how could we not?), rode bumper boats (that excited Austin because he is now tall enough to drive himself), played mini-golf (where we had a great view of King Kong's rear end), ate frozen custard from Andy's (2 days in a row), swam until 11 pm (2 nights in a row), saw the Joseph show (which was AMAZING!), had dinner in a fancy restaurant (which we made it through with nothing broken), sang in the car (you haven't lived until you've been in the car with 4 kids that love to sing. Loudly.), and slept late (which has become the motto of our summer).

In line for go-carts

Time to ride

Aaron on his bumper boat

Really everything that constitutes a successful family trip.

Austin and Luke

Aaron and Kaulyn

We got home yesterday evening so today is full of laundry and unpacking.

Well, that's what I'm doing anyway.

Aaron and Austin rolled out of bed at 11:00 and went straight to the living room to lay down and haven't moved since.